Punch (34.1858)

ebrdart 13, 1858.J PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. 61

FORTUNATE FELLOWS i

Stalwart Briton. "I tell yer what. Bill! We ought to be vert Thankful
we're Englishmen—for whether it's the Climate, or whether it's their
'Abits, just see how those Americans are Degenerating!"

OUR ARMY" OE MARTYRS.

.For what, have all the martyrs died

On India's crimson plains,
Now streaming with the generous tide,

Outpoured from heroes' veins,
Where gallant Nicholson and Neill

Have found a soldier's grave,
And though unscathed by shot or steel,

Tell Havelock good and biave ?

Were they whom hosts of orphans weep,

Whom crowds of widows mourn,
In peace that we may eat and sleep

From friends and kinsfolk torn ?
Their toils, their pains, did they endure,

And were their lives but sold,
That we might life enjoy secure,

Whilst they in death are cold.

That we might safely count our gains,

Increasing day by day,
Only for that, are their remains

Now mouldering into clay ?
That wealth, with unabated flood,

To England's shores might, flow,
Shed they alone their noble blood,

And are they lying low ?

Laid they their lives down but for this,

That Commerce might pursue
Her thriving course, and rich men miss

No doit of revenue ?
Of pompous wealth, of mere purse-pride

The champions, did they fall ?
If so, they martyrs only died

To Mammon after all.

Not so ; those martyrs' blood, we trust,

To better purpose sown,
Will not have sunk in Indian dust,

To bear such fruit alone:
The blood of martyrs is a seed

Whence springs another crop,
Our heroes were designed to bleed

For something more than Shop.

TH ft PRINCft AND THE PAWNBROKERS.

Quaint custom at Berlin is thus noticed
in the Daily News of Saturday the 30th,
a correspondent vouching for the truth of
the relation :—

"The lower classes are flocking- to the Pawn-
brokers, in order to pledge articles of less value
than five thalers ; as they well know, that on the
occasion of the marriage of any Prince of the
Royal Family, the pledges for that amount will be
restored to them gratis."

We have heard of what are often called
"pledges of affection," as resulting in due
time from the occasion of a marriage;
but the notion of redeeming pledges at the
pawnbrokers is quite a new idea to be
associated by us with the recent Itoyal
nuptials. It is not stated if the restora-
tion of the articles be made on such
occasions publicly or not; but as every-

Prince, and be ushered to his Presence! what work there would have
been cut out for Colonel Phipps, or whoever else held office as the
Master of the Ceremony ! How "Our Artists" would have sketched
and "Our Special" penny-a-liners would have paragraphed the scene ;
and what minutely full particulars would our Court Circular have given
of the titles and costumes of the chief pawners who attended, and the
value and description of their respective duplicates !

Well, it's too late now, of course. What's passed can't be helped.
We've missed a glorious chance of showing off our Flunkeydom.
Nevertheless, let us take heart, for there are other good times coming.
By the time our next Princess is ready to be married, we may intro-
duce the Prussian custom into England, and then vote a good round
sum to pay the cost of following it. There need be no doubt upon the
question of expense. Hundreds, we are sure, would consent for all
their lives to pay a double Income-Tax, to form a guarantee fund for
defrayment of the costs. The articles redeemed would rise to twenty
fold their value, from their having been "restored" in person by a
Prince. We really think we do the state of Flunkeydom some service
by assisting to make known so desirable a practice. Petitions should
at once be got up for adopting it, and a Bill to make it law be forced

tl. , , .., r. occ^ions publicly or not; Cut as every- the Government. Members of our Snobdom must sincerely hope

thing connected with the marriage of a Prince, appears always to to see the custoni introduced; and we quite as strongly wish that
be done as much as possible in state we think we may infer that this , those who h f lt t £

transaction with the pawnbrokers has been notified at full length | 1 3 &

in the state official programme, and has by no means been a private
and mere hole-and-corner business. Very possibly the Prince had
to restore the things himself, and perhaps to make a grand pro-

Another "Exclusive" Bit.

cession round the city, for the purpose of attending at each pawnshop Our readers will have observed among the French news that the
-n rotation, and there handing back the articles which had been placed j Emperor has designated Mgr. (Monseigueur) Mabille as Bishop op
ju pledge. If this were so, we doubt not that his task would be no | Versailles. We have long been aware of His Majesty's intention,
light one; for hundreds would "flock" merely to confront His lioyal and that its execution has been delayed by the reluctance of Mgr.
Highness, and not at all because they wauted the five thalers. Sup- j Mabille to part with the celebrated Jardin bearing his name, and
posing that the custom had obtained in England, we can fancy what a \ which he has made so popular. This, however, has been effected, the
rush there would have been to all the popshops ; not only by poor j Bal Mabille will take a new name (which we know, but are not at
folks to whom a shilling was an object, but by richer snobs and I liberty to state) and the reverend proprietor, abandoning polkas, will
snobesses who'd almost pawn their heads to get a sight of a live ' now take to paternosters.—Morning Advertiser, Feb. 6.